SARAH'S CLEANING RELATED HINTS AND TIPS

by Sarah Nicholson

As always, I would like to start off by
stressing that whilst I have made every effort to ensure the information is
correct, I cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, or for
the results obtained from the use of this information. All information
on this site is provided "as is". See our Disclaimer.

A lot of the following hints and tips are
already featured elsewhere on Hints and Things, however, Sarah has been
kind enough to gather together a selection for those of you who may like
to try more environmentally-friendly (and cheaper) kitchen or bathroom cleaning products, or
to help should you run out of something:-

To remove burnt-on food from the bottom of the oven, coat with a thick paste of bicarbonate of soda and water, leave for a couple of hours and then clean out the debris. Repeat if necessary.

In an emergency, leather shoes can be cleaned and polished using the inside of a banana skin. Also works a treat for putting the gloss back on large-leaved houseplants, such as rubber plants.

To unblock a drain or
sink, mix a cup of bicarbonate of soda, a cup of salt and a cup of vinegar and pour the mixture into your drain or down the plughole. Leave for half an hour, then rinse with a kettle full of boiling water.

Polish brushed steel with a few drops of baby oil.

To remove stale or cooking smells when it’s too cold to open a window, simmer a cinnamon stick and a few cloves in water. Your house will smell good enough to eat!

For an inexpensive way to keep scum and grease at
bay, make a solution of 1 part surgical spirit (rubbing alcohol), 3 parts water and a dash of liquid cleaner in a spray bottle and apply after every shower – no need to rinse.

If you are not going to use your dishwasher for a few days, just toss in a couple of tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda to
stop musty smells.

For window
cleaner, put half a litre of water in a spray bottle with 4 tablespoons of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Spray onto crumpled newspaper and use to clean windows.

Use a couple of drops of odourless cooking oil or baby oil to
cure squeaky hinges or sticking curtain or shower
rails.

To clean grout, mix 1 part white vinegar with 2 parts bicarbonate of soda to make a thick paste (or use a cheap toothpaste). Spread the paste on and leave for a couple of hours or overnight before scrubbing off with an old toothbrush.

For an odourless fridge
cleaner, use a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in 300ml warm water.

To remove
lime-scale, use neat lemon juice or white vinegar (but do not use on plated
taps). For encrusted areas, soak some cotton wool in lemon juice or vinegar and wrap round the tap, covering with a plastic bag secured with a rubber band. Leave overnight and remove by scrubbing with an old toothbrush.

Water stains in baths can be removed with a paste made from white vinegar and salt spread on and left overnight.

To make a grime-busting
solution, mix 2 teaspoons laundry borax, 2 tablespoons white vinegar and 2 cups warm water in a spray bottle. Add a few drops of essential oil, or a little disinfectant for bathroom use.

To clean floors, use 3 tablespoons of white vinegar or a couple of tablespoons of washing soda in half a bucket of hot water.

You can quickly fragrance a room by spraying a little cologne or perfumed furniture polish onto a light bulb (before you turn it on) or a hot radiator.

Laundry borax (not the same as boric acid!) can be used as a
water softener or, dissolved in water, as a disinfectant.

Bicarbonate of soda (perfumed if you like by mixing with some talcum powder or a couple of drops of essential oil) can be used to
freshen carpets – sprinkle on and leave for an hour or so, then vacuum out.

An effective marble cleaner can be made from a paste of bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice. Scrub over surface, then rinse. Leave paste on any stains for 30 minutes before scrubbing.
Test on a hidden area first as the acid from lemon can damage some
marble finishes.

Clean a narrow-necked vase by dissolving a soluble aspirin or a denture-cleaning tablet in some water in the vase and leaving overnight. Add a couple of tablespoons of uncooked rice, swirl around vigorously for a minute or so, then rinse.

A teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda or cream of tartar added to the powder drawer will make a
white wash whiter.

A ring in your toilet
bowl can be removed with a paste of laundry borax and lemon juice. Swish away some of the water in the bowl with a toilet brush, so that the water level is below the ring. Apply the paste, leave for a couple of hours or overnight, then scrub off.

To make room
freshener, put a few teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda in a decorative bowl, add a few drops of essential oils and put in an out-of-the-way place.

SMELLY WASHING MACHINE

I have been finding grey
sticky sludge and even bits of gunk coming out of washing machine
onto clothes - and a rotten smell; from web searches it is build
up of non- bio concentrated liquids plus concentrated fabric
softeners coating the unseen part of the drum lining and going
mouldy. (I never use the dispenser drawer as sludge always builds up
there if you do.)

Vinegar and bought washing machine
cleaning liquids, bleach and washing soda with boiling washes didn't
budge it, but realising it comes off if SCRAPED gently, I TRIED BATH
SALTS IN THE LARGE CRYSTAL FORM.

A kilo has to be poured in the drum
then turn the drum gently to encourage the smaller crystals to fall
through the holes and get in between the two stainless steel
drums where the water passes; then run a COLD wash only, as you want
the crystals to stay big as long as possible before they dissolve
in order to fall through the holes and scour the drums clean where
we can't reach.

Scented bath salts even make the drum
smell lovely and they don't harm your skin in the bath so any left
over in the first wash you do subsequently isn't harmful. Also found
the same result using cooking ROCK SALT IN LARGE CRYSTAL

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